The PopCulteer
October 25, 2024

We don’t want you to forget that Sydney Fileen returns with a new episode devoted the band, Simple Minds, Friday on The AIR.  The AIR is PopCult‘s sister radio station. You can hear our shows on The AIR website, or just click on the embedded player found elsewhere on this page.

Friday at 2 PM on The AIR, we have an encore of a special episode of MIRRORBALL where Mel Larch devoted her hour of Disco to the keepers of the flame. Departing from her usual classic Disco-era vintage tunes, she brought you Disco-styled music from Pet Shop Boys, Kylie Minogue and Jimmy Somerville. You can read the original notes and playlist HERE.

You can hear MIRRORBALL every Friday at 2 PM, with replays Sunday night at 11 PM and throughout the following week Monday at 9 AM and Tuesday at 1 PM plus there’s a mini-marathon that includes the latest episode Saturday nights at 9 PM

At 3 PM, it’s Big Electric Cat time as Sydney Fileen delivers a special NEW mixtape edition of her show that pays tribute to the pride of Glasgow, the band Simple Minds. Simple Minds took the world by storm and became Scotland’s biggest musical act of the 1980s, and this week Sydney brings you a mixtape primer of their new wave era hits, covering almost a decade of excellent and sophisticated New Wave Music.

Sydney explores the unlikely evolution of the punk band Johnny and the Self Abusers into the slick and sophisticated band known as Simple Minds. With a distinctive sound and massive hits on both sides of the Atlantic, this band was a showcase for Jim Kerr’s powerful voice and. according to Sydney, “provided a delightfull bombastic soundtrack that bridged the gap between New Wave and Progressive Rock.”

The band is still active, and is still making vital and important music, but Sydney brings you the best of Simple Minds from the late 1970s to the late 1980s, pretty much in line with the New Wave era.

The show includes their hits, a few live cuts and extended mixes, some deep album cuts, and of course it wraps up with that huge hit they had.

Check out this killer playlist…

Big Electric Cat 121

Simple Minds

“Glittering Prize”
“Life In A Day”
“Chelsea Girl”
“Changeling”
“I Travel”
“Celebrate”
“The American”
“Love Song”
“Sweat In Bullet”
“Theme For Great Cities”
“Promised You A Miracle”
“Someone Somewhere In Summertime”
“New Gold Dreams”
“Waterfront”
“Speed Your Love To Me”
“Up On The Catwalk”
“Alive and Kicking”
“Sanctify Yourself”
“All The Things She Said”
“Ghost Dancing”
“Belfast Child”
“Mandela Day”
“Soundtrack For Every Heaven”
“Sons and Fascination”
“Hunter and the Hunted”
“Don’t You Forget About Me”

Sydney’s Big Electric Cat is produced at Haversham Recording Institute in London, and can be heard every Friday at 3 PM, with replays Saturday afternoon,  Monday at 7 AM, Tuesday at 8 PM, Wednesday at Noon and Thursday at 10 AM, exclusively on The AIR.

That’s it for this week’s PopCulteer, check back for all our regular feature, with fresh content, every day, even when the week includes hospital visits and caregiver duties.